The Fake and The Fraudster
by inermis
Summary: After everything is said and done, it's time to get to know each other. Reigen and Shigeo, and their growing relationship from chapter 100 onward. Major spoilers for the end of the manga.
1. Chapter 1

Mob continues to cry for a long time. He cries for his broken heart, which is crushed by Tsubomi's gentle yet firm words. He had prepared for his confession for so long, and now he is so mentally and physically exhausted that he cries out of relief because it is finally over. His shoulders are shaking, but a gentle touch grounds him comfortingly into this moment. Mob is sad and heartbroken and relieved, but he is also happy and grateful that his Master is here for him.

Shigeo wishes to mourn in private, and he feels embarrassed that the fraud witnesses his moment of weakness. His only consolation is that the man looks awkward about Shigeo's tears, and his words of encouragement are clumsier, more hesitant than normally. Shigeo doesn't doubt that the over-confident liar returns soon, but he feels vindicated that the man was forced to drop his facade in exchange to witnessing Mob's true form.

There's a far-away sound of an explosion; a gas tank of a broken car is set aflame. The sound startles Mob, who dries his blurry eyes enough to see the burning remains of the car. With a sinking feeling of dread, Mob takes in his surroundings; collapsed buildings, destroyed roads, fallen trees and lamp posts. A stray dog is crushed under a slab of ground, and crows are already feasting on it.

He is reminded of a white kitten and Mogami's insidous, soft-spoken voice. There's red haze on the edges of his vision.

"I'm sorry," Mob sobs, feeling renewed sadness and overwhelming self-hate.

Shigeo remembers all those Mob's friends that got on his way. He didn't care enough to pay attention if any of them happened to die, but he is quite sure that not all of those nameless, faceless bystanders were lucky enough to survive. He feels another wave of Mob's self-hatred and Shigeo hisses in anger.

**I'm terrible; you knew that already. What are you gonna do? Are you gonna take back your word and seal me away?**

_No, _Mob cries. _As I said, I accept you. But that doesn't mean I have to like you._

Now that both of them are awake and aware, Mob understands why he was always so desperate to fight against the likes of Mogami and the Claw's boss not with fists, but with words and compassion. He saw his subconscious darkness in them, and he fought to nail and tooth to change them.

To save them.

**Stop at this instant. You were never supposed to be anything but a defense mechanism so I could protect Ritsu.**

Mob remembers his first meeting with his Master. He remembers Tome-san's attempts to recruit him into Telepathy club. He thinks of all his comrades the in Body Improvement club. He hears bits and pieces of Mezato-san's speeches, and he sees Dimple's hovering face. Hanazawa-kun and all his friends surround his mental space, forming a protective, safe circle around him. Mob's mental smile is happy and confident.

_I was lucky to meet such people._

Shigeo growls in frustration. He won't ever admit that such a weakling could be stronger than him, but he can, at least inside his own mind, acknowledge that Mob is, if not his equal, then at least an actual person. Fake, artificial, but a personality nonetheless.

"_You need to be a good person, that's all."_

And it is all that fraudster's fault. The bastard took an empty shell of Mob and molded it into someone else. Great. Shigeo thinks he is quite messed up as he is, he doesn't need that man to make things more complicated.

"Let's go this way," that man suddenly grabs Mob's shoulder and steers them to another direction. He is too late, because Shigeo recognises the smell of death, and Mob's eyes widen as a screeching spirit – halfway to becoming an evil one – flies towards them.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" the spirit shrieks.

"Mob, watch out!"

Mob pushes that man behind him firmly. A new streak of tears flow down his cheeks as he raises his palm towards the evil spirit.

"I'm sorry."

There's a difference when Mob uses his – Shigeo's (theirs?) – power to exorcise the spirit. The power obeys sluggishly, like it is black tar in a very, very deep cave. There's a pull between them, because Mob is used to controlling the power, whereas Shigeo just unleashes it. The dichotomy makes it so that first time ever, Mob has to put effort into using his power.

It is a clumsy move, but the raw power behind it is enough that the spirit disappears in a flash of light.

Mob turns his palm around and stares at it in confusion. He felt the difference, but he doesn't understand the reason behind it. Well, if Mob won't ask, then Shigeo won't explain it to him.

"Are you okay?" the man asks.

Mob is drawn from his inner thoughts by a warm hand on his shoulder. The man frowns slightly, and his dark grey eyes are filled with genuine worry. He is worrying about Mob, who doesn't feel like he deserves such kindness. After all, he has broken the ultimate rule, and used his powers against others. He had expected that Master would yell at him, but he doesn't look angry at the slightest.

Mob shakes his head: no, he isn't okay. He had been so scared, of what he was doing, and that he had no way of stopping himself. The others, they had tried, but they had been spatted away like flies. Only his Master had stood up, time after time, until he had reached Mob and made him stop.

Truly, he has the strongest Master.

Mob has no words to express his gratitude, so he hides his face on the man's chest and hugs him as strongly as he can. There's an odd squak above him, and a bit flailing, before he feels hands circling him and returning the hug.

Mob continues to cry silently. His emotions are such a jumbled mess that he can't even name them all anymore: remorse, sadness, relief, regret, some lingering fear, and oddly enough, warmth and safety. It's overwhelming to feel so much at once, confusing and tiring, and Mob starts resetting his emotions back to zero percent…

**Don't you dare!**

Mob winces at Shigeo's metaphysical slap in the face.

**You promised not to do it anymore! Like, a half an hour ago!**

_Sorry. A habit, I guess._

**I don't want your sorry excuses. You keep your end of the deal, or I take over.**

Mob freezes in wild panic at Shigeo's threat. As long as Mob has existed, he has had an innate fear of Shigeo's capabilities. Today, he had amassed a moment of courage to stand against Shigeo, but it is nothing but a tiny spark in the darkness of a many years of unadulterated terror.

Mob hugs the man a bit tighter, and reminds himself that he can be stopped.

_You shouldn't threaten others. It is not very nice._

Shigeo glares and refuses to answer the naive idiot.

This time, Mob keeps his promise and lets his emotions be. It takes conscious effort not to suppress them behind the high, thick wall that he has build over the years. Letting emotions run free feels suffocating; his heart rate accelerates and his breath hitches. His face feels hot and his eyes ache from too much crying. He wonders if this is what other people go through from day to day. He has so much to learn, stuff that ordinary people take for granted, but he thinks that going through the pain of feeling will make him a stronger person.

But Mob doesn't intent to deal with it alone.

To change, one needs people around them.

"Master, please, there're still things I need to learn. I don't want to hurt anyone ever again."

"And you won't."

That man kneels down and catches Mob's head between his hands.

"You're a good kid, Mob. What happened today was just an accident, but I trust in you. You don't hurt people."

Mob nods, convinced by that man's words alone. Shigeo, however, notices the strain on the man's face as he tries to smile. He grabs the man's wrists and tears hands from his face.

"Liar," he says venomously. "You can't know what I might do in the future."

The wind picks up around them as Shigeo surfaces. The bastard isn't even surprised, he just gives him a curiously calm look.

"I guess you're right. I'm a professional liar, and it's hard to break a habit. I try not to lie to you anymore, but I can't promise it won't happen ever again. We can only try our best, both of us. So how about it, you forgive me for lying to you, and I forgive you what happened today?"

Shigeo really, really despises this man. This manipulative, cheapskate of a fraudster… Why he needs to listen to likes of him?

"Fine," he huffs and stomps away.

His aura flares as power leaks from his body; it's a miracle that his vessel does not crumble from inside out. He barely notices as stones and rocks start to hover in the air, and his fingers twitch as he looks for something that he can safely explode.

"Brother?"

Shigeo whirls around when he hears Ritsu's voice. A heavy weight drops from his shoulders when he sees his brother mostly unharmed. He never intended to harm Ritsu during his… rampage, but that incident from their childhood proved how dangerous his lack of control could be.

Power whirls around him like a maelstrom, and he realizes that Ritsu is looking at _him_ with a hesitant worry. Shigeo takes a step back, suddenly scared.

**Hey, you! Don't just stand there, do something!**

Mob, that damn traitor, shakes his head and smiles kindly.

_We should stop running._

He isn't running away, he is protecting Ritsu, like he has always done, like he always will. Ritsu is his most precious little brother, and he will do anything to shield him from harm. Even from himself.

_Ritsu is strong. He doesn't want our protection._

"Broth..."

"Stay away!"

Shigeo puts a barrier between them. His hands are shaking and he can feel cold sweat on his forehead. From the corner of an eye he can see that man trying to reach him.

Ritsu spreads his hands in a calming gesture, like Shigeo is a feral animal that needs reassuring.

"Brother, I'm not going to leave you here."

"Well, you should!" Shigeo's voice cracks. "Haven't you seen enough already! Look around you! This, this is the real me."

"I know," Ritsu says gently. "I'm sorry I didn't realize it sooner. Or perhaps I did, and just denied it for a long time. Not anymore."

Ritsu walks towards Shigeo, whose barrier flicks in and out of existence. It breaks apart when Ritsu reaches it.

Shigeo tries to escape, but his legs refuse to move.

Ritsu's eyes flick to Shigeo's flaring aura, and he knows that his little brother is scared. And still, Ritsu has the courage to take the final step. When Shigeo feels a hand on his shoulder, he lets his head drop in surrender.

"It's been a while," he murmurs.

"Yes, it has," Ritsu answers.

He lifts his gaze from Ritsu's white sneakers to his brother's determined eyes.

"Let's go home," Ritsu says.

_I love you _**I love you **_**I love you**_

"Yeah," he says.


	2. Chapter 2

The world has become grey. The grass beneath his sneakers is dullish steel with only a hint of its original colour. His clothes look faded, like someone has washed them too many times. The sky above is a blank, sunless ceiling that hangs closer to Earth than it should. Even his school building is in muted grey colour.

There are students walking through the school gates, talking and laughing with each other, but they are only shapeless shadows, indistinguishable from each other. He hears Tsubomi-chan's voice, but he doesn't know where it comes or what she is saying. He needs to find Tsubomi-chan. There's a bouquet of flowers in his hand, and he needs to give it to her right now. Flowers start to wilt as he holds the bouquet. Light grey petals float down on the dark ground.

They are important for his confession, so he kneels down to pick up flower petals, but a sudden wind steals them from his fingers. He calls his powers to grasp escaping petals, but a tornado appears suddenly. He loses the sight of them.

He remembers that this school building belongs to Black Vinegar Middle. He looks back at the school gates and there is Hanasawa, wearing nothing but a school tie that is throttling him. He needs to help Hanasawa, but there is also Asagiri Minori convulsing on the ground, and he doesn't know whom to help first. He blinks, and Asagiri is gone.

He blinks again, and he is in his own room – that is filled with centipedes and cockroaches. They crawl over his sneakers while making crickety noises that sound like murmurs. Overwhelming hate spurns him when he looks those worthless little insects, and he stomps on them with all his rage-filled might. When he lifts his foot to stomp again, he sees blood dripping down from his shoe.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Drip-drip.

Drip. Drip.

Drip-drip.

It's hard to breathe. His insides are burning.

An utility knife is sticking from his side. He looks this way and that way to find out who attacked him.

'_Young Kageyama', _someone whispers.

He swivels around and sees a dark-haired man in his prime. He smiles fondly and lifts his hand to touch his cheek. His hand is cold and dry, like it belongs to a corpse. Mogami Keiji is his Master and he is so very proud of him. He tries to deny the man, to say that the man hasn't teached him anything worthwhile, but the words are stuck on his throat. Mogami Keiji is a real psychic, the greatest of 20th century, and he knows what he is talking about.

'_The world is cruel and hateful. And so are you.'_

Mob stares the ceiling of his bedroom. He is laying only partly on his futon, and he's tangled in bedsheets. There are odd shapes all around of him, but his eyes adjust soon to the room's darkness and he realises that everything from school books to family pictures is floating erratically.

Mob's heart is beating like he has run a marathon, and he feels hot and nauseated. He touches his cheek, and is surprised by the lack of tears. He feels like crying, but when he pulls his legs on his chest and hides his head between knees, he manages only a rattled breath.

Mob isn't used to remembering his dreams. Nightmares and stuff used to stay locked in the same place where his emotions went, but contacting his inner self seems to have had some unexpected consequences. He never thought that Mogami would return to haunt his dreams.

Mob pulls his legs tighter. Everything about that nightmare was bad, but Mogami Keiji appearing was definitely the worst part. Mogami scares him because he is too real. He is a presentation of what Mob could become. He wants to think that he is a good person, who would never harm others, but it's too late to pretend.

Shigeo has already hurt people.

News confirmed it last night. The tornado that appeared in the middle of the Salt City killed 51. More were injured, and the property damage was estimated in hundred billions. Ritsu had tried to drag him away from TV, but Mob had stayed rooted before a special program that speculated whether the tornado had been caused by the climate change or if it had been a supernatural phenomenon. Their wild guesses were far away from the truth.

Mob had wanted to confess to the police, but Ritsu and Master had argued against it. He had been unwavering until Dimple had pointed out how much suffering it would cause for his parents if Mob got arrested. His parents would feel responsible for raising a criminal, and he doesn't want to bring such shame on them, so he had eventually agreed to keep the secret.

He lifts his eyes when he hears clattering. His writing desk moves agitatedly, opening and closing its drawers wildly. The window rattles, and a long, deep crack appears on it. The whole room is illuminated by the purple light of psychic power that is looking for an escape route. It is on edge of an explosion.

How he had missed that? He checks how close to 100 % he is, and his fear grows as he realizes that there is no number to give. He sees only blurry questions marks because his emotions aren't neat, controllable and quantifiable little packages anymore. The floorboard caves in beneath his feet. This, this is why he needs to control his emotions!

Ritsu sleeps in the next room, Mob thinks when he tries desperately to get his powers under control. He calls the power back inside his body, but it stays untamed. His body's outline becomes blurry as the pure power creates havoc inside him. The world fades away and seems brighter at the same time, and there's a feeling of detachment, like he's something inhuman. Shigeo knows that feeling well enough, but it terrifies Mob. He needs to escape. His parents are sleeping downstairs, he can't have another rampage here. He doesn't know any of those 51 people, but if he harms his loved ones…

The window explodes outwards, and Mob is flying as fast as he can away from home.

He shoots through clouds and and avoids a passing airplane. The moon itself grows bigger as he flies higher, and it's so bright when all he wants is to run and hide, that for a moment he has an insane idea to just blow it to smithereens. It would be so easy, just raise his finger and give his powers a small nudge to the right direction and that annoying spotlight would be gone.

Mob takes a deep breath. Air feels cold and oddly thin up here, but it also helps to clear his mind. He sees the sea and star-like lights of the Salt City far below, and he feels calmer knowing that he is a safe distance away from everyone.

Or is he? If he has enough power to destroy the moon, then isn't it possible to do the same in another direction, too? If he ever becomes like Mogami…

Mob wants to say he won't, but Shigeo thinks that for a right reason, he could. It hadn't been a real world, but he had felt it nonetheless, when he had been so alone, and so very miserable. The need to pay back. To have revenge for all that bullying. He had been so very close to do something unforgivable.

He still remembers the smell of burned corpses. Another illusion that had felt too real. He knows intellectually that his family is safe, but there are moments when he feels the need to call home to make sure that they answer the phone. To hug Ritsu, just to make sure that he is warm and breathing and _alive._

He has had too many close calls and what-ifs. He has felt the murderous rage, the intent to rip and tear and _hurt._

"_You need to be a good person, that's all."_

That man's words had sounded so simple, and still he can't do it right.

Shigeo feels angry. That liar, it's easy for him to speak about the burdens of psychic powers when he's nothing but a fraud! He feels like an idiot for believing in them even for a second. There's no way he can be a good person; he is nothing but a terrifying monster. The only thing he can do is hurt others.

_We saved Asagiri-san._

Shigeo scoffs at Mob's reminder. He doesn't know the idiot's reasons, but he was acting only by survival instinct at that point. If he happened to shield that haughty girl when he fought Mogami's evil spirits, it was because they were trapped inside her. He didn't want to take over her body accidentally. He prefers his own vessel, weak and plain-looking as it is.

Mob stares him contemplatively. He wants to disagree with Shigeo, but because he lost consciousness during the fight, he doesn't remember how exactly Asagiri-san was saved. But he knows that Shigeo must've done something.

The Earth seems to close in, and he realizes that he's falling. His power stopped working during their inner disagreement, but Mob takes control easily enough.

**I need some practise.**

Mob nods seriously.

_You should start with the card tricks Master taught me when I was younger._

Shigeo's insulted. He is the most powerful esper in the world, he ain't asking help from a fraud who can't even bend a spoon. Besides, he isn't ten anymore. Building card houses telekinetically feels childish.

_I like it, though._

Of course. Mob couldn't be more different from Shigeo even if he tried; Shigeo still places blame on that man. Thinking about that manipulative fraud makes him sneeze – he hadn't thought how cold spring nights could be – which brings him an idea. He's freezing, so he changes their flying direction; Mob realizes his intention immediately and tries to slow him down.

_We can't bother Master Reigen! He's sleeping!_

**I don't care. He's always inconveniencing us, so this is his just desserts.**

Mob frets how impolite this is, that Master needs rest so he can heal his wounds. This is really rude of him, but some part of him really wishes to see Master right now.

Shigeo thinks that it's really cold out here, and he is wearing nothing but pajamas. His power has calmed down somewhat, but it is still fluctuating around him, and there's no way he'll go home in this state. He needs to get inside, and he doesn't worry about explosions around that man. It serves him right if he gets blown up.

They reach an agreement to go to that man's place, but both of them are reluctant about it. Mob doesn't want to be a bother, and Shigeo just dislikes the man.

Mob has always associated that man's place with an air of mystery. There is something special about a grown man living on his own – it is one of those adult things that are exciting and incomprehensible at the same time. It always reminds Mob that one day he'll be adult too, and he won't live with his family anymore.

That man's place looks different from a bird perspective – smaller somehow. It's a small window in a block of a building, insignificant among many windows of this huge city. Mob's Master has always seemed bigger than life, but when he looks through the window, he sees nothing but a sleeping form of a man.

**He's nothing special.**

He raps his knuckles against the window, but the man doesn't stir. He does it again, and this time the man makes a startled movement and throws a blanket away. He looks surprised when he sees Shigeo.

"Mob?"

Shigeo flies a bit farther away when the man opens the window. The man glances at Shigeo's bare feet before studying his face. The man has an undecipherable look and Shigeo reminds himself that despite the man's many faults, he isn't an idiot. Shigeo's aura is still making power spikes that are visible to normal human eye, and he is sure his eyes glow in bright red colour. He must look as dangerous as he feels.

"Come in."

The man turns his back on Shigeo and starts to turn on lights.

"I don't have cocoa here, so I hope you're okay with green tea. It's caffeined, though, but it doesn't look like it will matter tonight."

He disappears into kitchen, but Mob can hear closets opening, clinking of cups, shoosh of water being drained. Even when he isn't talking someone's ear off, that man still manages to be loud. Shigeo counts that as one of many things that annoy him about that man.

Shigeo enters the warm apartment and closes the window to save all that relaxing warmth. He looks around, slightly curious because he has never been in this room before.

The bedroom's cleanliness doesn't surprise him, but it is oddly plain. There aren't paintings or photos anywhere; the only decoration is a small plant on a window sill. A lighter and a pack of cigarettes lies next to an alarm clock. The man's mobile phone is recharging on the floor. That's it. A small moving box would be enough to gather everything together and make it seem like nobody ever lived here. The man could leave and disappear whenever he wants – easily like a ghost.

That unsettles him for some reason.

The alarm clock is pushed down by his powers. He catches it with a tendril of power before it reaches the floor and takes a note of bright numbers that announce it is half past three in the morning. His weak yet stubborn side insists that he really shouldn't be here at a time like this.

The man returns. He looks up at Shigeo who hovers close to the ceiling.

"Do your parents know where you are?"

Mob shakes his head. He realizes that they must have woken up because of the noise. Mom is always so strict about spoon-bending, so she must be furious now. He wonders if his allowance is enough to pay the repairs.

The man sighs.

"I call them. Is there anything you wish to tell them?"

"Say that I'm sorry."

Mob is grateful that the man doesn't demand an explanation. He makes a quick call, and it's obvious that his parents tell him about the destroyed bedroom, because he tells them that Mob's 'fine, just a bit upset, normal teenager behaviour, nothing to worry about, I'll keep an eye on him, no, this is normal during this age, these bursts of psychic power, I have gone through similar things' and so on. Shigeo glares the liar with crossed hands, but he lets the man convince his parents that he can stay here the night.

From the sounds of it, his dad agrees easily enough, but mom takes some more convincing. She probably wants Shigeo home so she can nag him about using psychic powers again.

_Don't be so mean._

Mob loves their parents from the bottom of his heart, but Shigeo has felt resentment towards them for years. He hates how mom always compares him to Ritsu unfavorably and behaves like his powers are a bad habit of his. Dad tries to be more supportive, but he is rarely there and utterly clueless how destructive his powers can be. The most unforgivable thing is that they never noticed how distressed he became after Ritsu's accident, and they never tried to get him help. Mob was utterly alone until this man came along.

When the man ends the call, a tea kettle is already whistling. The man returns to the kitchen and Shigeo hovers after him. The man goes through the motions of preparing tea, and Mob feels comforted by familiarity of it. Mob accepts the offered tea gratefully. His powers have calmed down enough that he is able to stand on the floor again. The floor feels cold on his bare feet, and he shivers a bit.

That man sees it and goes to rummage his closets before returning with a college jacket that is way too big for Mob. He doesn't want to wear anything that belongs to that man. He is sure it smells like tobacco.

"I don't want it," Shigeo says.

"Okay. I leave it here, just in case."

The man leaves the jacket on a backrest of a sofa and takes a sip of his tea. His face turns red and he almost spits the drink out. Shigeo snorts. The man stares Shigeo with round eyes.

"Who are you and what have you done to Mob?"

The man says it playfully, but Shigeo's innards freeze with anger. The tea cup breaks in his hands, and hot liquid levitates in the air.

"I _do_ have a sense of humour. I _can_ laugh. But all this time, I..."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

Shigeo stares the broken pieces of the cup, trying to find words to explain what it is like, to be so fearful of yourself, of your emotions, that you willingly lock yourself away and watch from distance as your body goes through motions like a puppet on strings.

He can't explain it, because there's a part of him who doesn't understand how he managed to do it, how he became like this. That man waits for him to speak. He has always known when Mob's struggling to find words. He has always listened patiently.

_I don't always understand things well. But Master does._

"When I was five, I fell down and hurt my knee. I started to cry, and all food that mom had made started to fly around. When I was seven, I peed on my bed. I was so ashamed I wished the bed to disappear. It did."

Mob doesn't have many memories of his childhood, but as Shigeo talks he starts to remember. His first vague memory of giggling Ritsu and a surprised shout of mom as he floats his favorite toy. The feeling of happiness as dad carries him on piggy-back under the sky that is filled with booming fireworks. His stone collection that he kept in a box under the bed. His arguments with mom about refusing to eat bean sprouts. It all clicks in his head, when before he had trouble remembering anything before the Incident.

He remembers that he used to bend spoons, break door knobs, twist toys and break anything electrical all the time. He remembers being scolded regularly, and getting scared by sudden noises he made. He remembers being called cheater and worse by other children in the day-care.

He thinks he may have disliked his powers long before he lost control and hurt Ritsu.

Mob is overwhelmed by these new revelations, and he doesn't notice that Shigeo has fallen silent. He stares that man and waits for a reaction.

"That sounds perfectly normal for a kid with psychic powers."

The man looks completely unruffled; even his stupid hair isn't in disarray despite being woken up suddenly. His voice is even, which is unfair because Shigeo feels something heavy in his throat making his voice croaky.

"You don't get it. It's just like Mogami said, psychic powers and emotions are connected. They are powered by them."

Shigeo stands up, feeling too agitated to sit still, and he clenches his fists so hard he can feel nails burrowing into his skin.

"Do you have any idea… No, of course you don't, you call Mob when you need my powers, it's just a convenient tool for you. You don't know what's it like to see and hear things that others don't see, to have this power that begs to be used. You called it a knife, but it's not, it's a living thing that flows and ebbs and sings and whispers and always _is_. It makes me _me_."

Power dances on the tips of his fingers, and when he opens his hand, a miniature lightning booms around it. He looks up to see what that man looks like. He still looks calm and observative, and that is wrong because he needs to understand how terrifying Shigeo is. He gets into the man's face and grabs his shirt expecting a flinch that never comes. Well, there is always his trump card.

"I killed those people because they didn't matter. They happened to be in my way, so I removed them. Like swatting away a fly. Sometimes, I think that I don't belong to same species with them. I'm just a monster."

There's a sudden pain as that man flicks Shigeo's forehead.

"Sorcery SNAP!"

He stares in stunned silence as that man makes wild gestures and mumbles made-up words under his breath.

"You seem to be cursed, Mob. This specific curse causes the afflicted to spout complete nonsense about themselves, but don't worry, I got it under control."

"You're lying," he says.

"So are you."

"I'm not lying." Shigeo whispers. "When I think about those people that died, I feel nothing."

There's a shockwave of psychic energy, and all lights turn off simultaneously. Looking at the window reveals that the whole neighbourhood has lost electricity. Shigeo is completely blind. He has never sensed any psychic energy in that man, so he can't even use extra-sensory abilities to see him. He hears the man's quiet breathing and feels the softness of the pajama shirt under his fingers.

"Stay still. I got candles," that man orders, leaving him into the darkness. Alone.

Mob nods, even though he knows his Master can't see him. Shigeo feels Mob's complete trust in the man, and the sudden whiplash makes his head ache. He is massaging his temples when the man returns with the lighted candle.

"I feel like I'm going crazy," he says.

He shields his forehead when the man looks like he is about to flick him again.

"Don't use that word," the man says sternly.

Mob's Master has never spoken to him so strictly; he has always treated Mob with utmost kindness. But, he has seen him lecturing others like this before; he remembers the man hitting kids who had drawn on a dog with a permanent marker. It looks like his attitude is different when he's dealing with Shigeo instead. It's not a reaction he expected, but it is something. The man acknowledges him on some level.

The man puts the candle on the kitchen table and sits down while Shigeo sits down on the opposite side. The flickering candle creates ethereal shadows on the man's face. Shigeo notes the way the candle light is reflected from his dark eyes.

"Listen, Mob."

"It's Shigeo."

There's a short pause as the man studies him.

"Mob," the man says, completely ignoring Shigeo's plea. "When we first met, I made some assumptions about you. It turned out that I was mistaken about some things, but mostly my first impressions were completely spot on. I want to be honest with you and tell that I knew your true identity from the very beginning."

Mob's eyes widen when he hears his own words parroted back. The man smiles; he clearly enjoys this payback.

"That of an earnest, but troubled kid."

He must be talking about Mob. He doesn't know Shigeo, who had been slumbering in the deep, murky waters of Mob's consciousness. The fraud isn't a real psychic, so he couldn't have noticed the duality in his person. There's no way he could be that perceptive.

It's interesting to note though, that the man didn't call him 'a good person'.

"You forgot to mention the unrepentant murderer part."

"And you're as clueless as always. Because it's obvious to me that you're grieving."

Shigeo shakes his head minutely.

"I'm not sad that they're dead. When I think them, I feel numb and sometimes angry."

"Angry at whom?"

"I don't know. At them, for being in the way. At myself. My powers. Everything."

The man's smile is sad yet fond.

"Being angry is a part of grieving, Mob."

That doesn't make sense. It has to be another lie, even though that man's tone suggests otherwise.

Mob repairs absentmindedly the broken tea cup and takes a sip of his tea. It doesn't taste like tea anymore – for some reason his power leaves a sour aftertaste. That's how it always goes: Shigeo breaks, Mob fixes, and yet nothing is like it used to be.

That man's hands are resting on the kitchen table. His middle and ring finger are bandaged together, and his knuckles are scraped. They are very still. He has seen them move so fast that he sees only blurry after-images. So, that man _can_ calm down and just be. He never noticed before.

The city starts to regain electricity. The luminous city lights return piece by piece, but this room stays dark. The candle light flickers gently and makes shadows move in the corners. Mob doesn't sense any spirits in the room, but Shigeo thinks there's something here nonetheless. It lingers in the air, not heavy but soothing. It is in those bruised, kind hands. It's in an open window, no questions asked. In a place to be and stay.

"I'm tired," Shigeo says.

It is not true. He hasn't yawned at all, and he doesn't feel sleepy, but his head feels heavy, and there's a small pounding that will turn into a full-time headache if he doesn't turn his brain off. Falling asleep has always been easy, though: Shigeo would only need to return to those deep, murky waters where are no actual thoughts, only images and random sensations and feelings, and Mob would blank out into sweet nothingness.

"I'll search for extra sheets and blankets."

Mob nods in gratitude, and once again Shigeo is surprised how such small acts of kindness from this man could make him so happy. There must be some sort of trick in it, and Shigeo vows not to rest before he understands it fully.

Mob isn't used to sleeping on a sofa – it is softer than his own futon – but he tucks himself in obediently. That man stands next to him, looking unsure for a moment, and his hand is closing in on Mob before it retreats hastily. He clears his throat.

"I'm in the bedroom if you need anything. Good night."

"Good night, Master."

Mob stares the man unblinkingly, who looks unwilling to leave.

"Is this alright? Do you need anything else?" the man asks.

"No. I'm fine, thank you."

"If you have trouble sleeping, feel free to call for me."

"Okay."

"I might have some left-overs from my aroma therapies here; they have soothing and calming properties."

"I don't think I need them."

"I could run a quick check to see if any apothecaries are open at this hour; I think there are some sleeping aids that can be bought without prescription."

"Sleep isn't a problem for me."

"Ah – okay. But, to prevent nightmares, I could try some light hypnosis, to help you relax or something."

Shigeo snaps.

"Reigen. I am fine."

He closes his eyes and starts the normal process of falling asleep. That man scuffles around.

"I wish I could help more."

Shigeo opens his eyes and glares the man. How someone so boastful could be so insecure at times? Doesn't he realize what he means to Mob?

Aah, he can't fall asleep if this man continues his stupid questionnaire.

"My powers act up sometimes when I see dreams. Could you keep watch and wake me up if I start levitating something?"

"Of course."

The man sits up in a nearby chair. His back is straight like he's on a serious guard duty, but at the same time something about him relaxes. Has Mob fallen asleep or unconscious on him so many times that the man's gotten used to it? Has he always watched over him? He has thought that watching others to sleep is boring, or rude somehow, but he hasn't still grasped all normal social conventions, so maybe there are exceptions to the rule. Anyways, other people's opinions don't matter; the most important thing to consider are his own feelings, and having that man watch over him doesn't bother him.

It's Reigen after all.


End file.
